Compare the2021 Kia SorentoVS 2021 Land Rover Discovery

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia Sorento are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Land Rover Discovery doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Sorento are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The Discovery doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Kia Sorento has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Discovery doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Sorento Prestige/X-Line has a standard Parking Collision Avoidance-Rear that use rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Discovery doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the Sorento and the Discovery have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The Sorento comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Discovery’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sorento 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Land Rover covers the Discovery. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Discovery ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 4 times as many Kia dealers as there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Sorento’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Sorento’s reliability 32 points higher than the Discovery.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sorento first among midsize suvs in their 2020 Initial Quality Study. The Discovery isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 92 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 33rd, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 147 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 33rd.

The Sorento 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 16 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 295) than the Discovery’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Sorento 2.5T AWD Auto turbo 4 cyl. gets better fuel mileage than the Discovery turbo 4 cyl. (21 city/28 hwy vs. 19 city/22 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Sorento uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Discovery requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Sorento offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Discovery doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

For better maneuverability, the Sorento’s turning circle is 2.9 feet tighter than the Discovery’s (37.8 feet vs. 40.7 feet).

The Kia Sorento may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1050 to 1150 pounds less than the Land Rover Discovery.

The Sorento is 6.1 inches shorter than the Discovery, making the Sorento easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Sorento is 6.8 inches narrower than the Discovery, making the Sorento easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The Sorento has .3 inches more front headroom, 2.3 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more rear headroom, 4.3 inches more rear legroom, .5 inches more third row hip room and 5.8 inches more third row shoulder room than the Discovery.

The Sorento’s cargo area provides more volume than the Discovery.

The Sorento S/EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Discovery doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Sorento has standard extendable sun visors. The Discovery doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Sorento is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Discovery doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Sorento, based on reliability, safety and performance.